


The Chanteur Caché Cafe

by Shreba



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Bisexual Winn Schott Jr., Gen, Jeremy Jordan is Winn, Winn can sing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-23 08:37:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18149591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shreba/pseuds/Shreba
Summary: The Chanteur Caché Cafe is the one place Winn can really and truely sing. He keeps his voice to himself, but one day the Superfriends stumble upon the Cafe.





	The Chanteur Caché Cafe

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TppJMa8apkc  
> Hope it’s not too OC!

The Chanteur Caché Cafe was one of Winn’s favorite place to be on a stressful night. Sadly, most stressful nights involved him staying up late, working for the DEO and tracking down bad guys. It was still really cool, working there and helping defeat the villains, but he hadn’t been to the Cafe in over two weeks. 

 

The Chanteur Caché Cafe was a small hole-in-the-wall place in National City. Winn had found it wandering about on a sleepless night (which in hindsight, was not a good idea), and had fallen in love with the place immediately. Despite being a Cafe, it sold more than just coffee- it sold diner food at lunch and some nicer meals as well, at dinner. It had brick walls and soft cushioned chairs and tables, but still plenty of room for waiters and waitresses to move about. Up front and center was a small stage, complete with a piano and guitars.

 

That was the unique part of the place. They “picked up strays”, as Winn and his friends liked to call it. Musicians worked at the place, and there was a wide variety of singers that frequented there. They all performed songs, earning money from just singing and from the audience members that would pay extra to have the singer play a specific song.

 

Despite the size of the place, there were a lot of different singers that started hanging out. They would get paid by each “shift” they took, and there was no distinct schedule they had to stick to. As long as they had a little pass marking them as a singer, they could just stop by the Cafe one night and play some songs.

 

Contrary to all appearances, Winn loved to sing. He had started taking voice lessons after his dad was put in jail that were often sporadic, sometimes managing to convince his foster parents to pay for them, sometimes not. Once he hit sixteen, however, and got a job, he started paying for his own lessons. He had taken them for most of his life, but now only stopped in once or twice with his old instructor over the span of a couple of months. Singing was a way to pour from the heart, the cheesy part of Winn always thought, and was very impressive skill for dating. 

 

Not that Winn ever used his singing skills on a date, he never had the self-confidence to do something as reckless as that. 

That was one of the reasons Winn loved the Chanteur Caché Cafe. It was open at all times, and helped him boost his confidence. Now he never feared the stage, but rather basked in it. Granted it was a small stage he basked on, but whatever. The Cafe provided an incentive to really continue practicing beyond singing along to musicals at home, and Winn had made many new friends there, all complete dorks.

 

He had not, of course, told his coworkers. 

 

They were now more friends than coworkers, having shared secrets and game nights together. But the Cafe seemed so personal for him, and allowed him to feel comfortable with all the regulars, singers, and musicians that were often found hanging around. Winn knew most of the customers by name at this point, and loved working together on impromptu songs with all of the performers. They were all close friends, and Winn made the effort to visit at least once a week, even if his new job at the DEO made him busy.

 

Which brought him back to the original point. It had been a little over two weeks, but with the Guardian and various situations with the DEO, he hadn’t been able to find time to stop by and even sing one song. He had been spammed by the C.C.C.S. group chat, pronounced ssss (or the Chanteur Caché Cafe Singers, no matter how ridiculous the acronym was), and even the musicians and workers had started wondering where he went. Winn had forced to tell them he was just busy at work, and had finally given in and told them about his new job at an agency- which, of course, none of them believed was actually true, especially when Winn wasn’t allowed to tell them anything.

 

Tonight was going to fix everything. Hopefully. Unless an alien intruder decided to hijack the DEO or go make a mess, Winn finally got an off day. He had decided to spend the entire night at the Cafe, making up for lost time. He just had to power through one more update, and he would be free. And only an actual invasion was keeping him from there this time, Winn decided. It had been far to long.

 

“Oh, Winn! There you are!” Winn spun around to spot Supergirl jogging up behind him. “I was wondering where you went. Look, I know this is kind of sudden, by the Superfriends want to get together to go play games tonight. We may even eat out beforehand. It’s been the first night that we’ve all been free for a while, and I think everyone will be able to make it.” She smiled at him, plopping down on one of the nearby chairs. “Are you in?”

 

Normally he was easy to persuade, especially to hot aliens, it seemed (why was everyone around him so hot? It made it hard for a mostly closeted bisexual, even if almost everyone at the Cafe knew), but tonight Winn was having none of it. “I can’t, I have… other plans.”

 

“Other plans? Where are you headed off too?”

 

“I’m just…” Winn spun back around in his chair, continuing to work on that final update. “Just hanging out with some friends I haven’t seen in a while. And before you pretend not to be surprised, I do actually have friends outside of work.”

 

“Oh no, that wasn’t it! I just haven’t heard you talk about them.” And Winn had good reason, too. Once one little part about the Cafe slipped out, every part of it would, and suddenly Kara and all of the Superfriends would be there, watching every move he made on the now comfortable stage. He knew they wouldn’t do it on purpose, but it honestly would save the drama. And the part where Winn broke down before he had to perform in front of friends other than the regulars. 

 

“Oh, yea, it’s just things get so busy around here. And, you know, I thought it would be kinda rude to talk about them while I was hanging out with you.” Winn glanced back at Kara. “I promise I’m not replacing you all, I just haven’t seen them in a while.”

 

“Well, we’ll try not to have too much fun without you.” Kara said, smiling. “Have a good night, Winn!” 

 

“You too!”

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

Winn was bombarded with cheers as soon as he stepped into the back door of the Cafe. He usually texted ahead when he was coming so the workers could put his songs on the menu, set up the voting and plan time for him to sing, but he only sent a text until the very end of the day, when he started heading over. He had had to cancel three different nights previously, and didn’t want to have to cancel last minute again.

 

“Thank you, thank you everyone.” Winn pretended to quell a loud crowd as everyone went back to work. He sighed and looked around. “And where did all my adoring fans run off too?”

 

“Over here, you idiot.” Idina said, walking up to lightly hit him on the arm. “What took you so long?”

 

“You know how work gets.” Winn smiled. “All my top secret agent work.”

 

“I seriously doubt anyone actually calls you Agent Schott, idiot.” She headed off to one of the musicians to discuss songs while Ben sneaked up on Winn.

 

“Have you seen a small midget around here? He was supposed to meet me over a week ago, but I haven’t seen him since.”

 

“Well, I lost my dog. It was a shitzu, too, an adorable little puppy.” Andrew joked, right behind Ben and Winn.

 

“Ha ha, very funny.” Winn rolled his eyes and crossed his hands, shifting to the side in a dramatic pout. “And here I was thinking someone was going to be glad to see me.”

 

“Never.” Ben said, with a straight face. Winn shoved him over and walked with the other two towards the music organizer. “Lin, I need a spot sometime tonight. Preferably a long one, I don’t really care when.”

 

“Winn, it’s good to see you!” The organizer said. Lin was a great singer himself, but still loved working behind the scenes in creating an enjoyable night. He would always fill himself in whenever he could and jumped to fill spots for singers who had to cancel last-minute. “You don’t care when you perform?”

 

“As long as I get to sing. It’s been too long.”

 

“I’ll say.” Ben walked up to Winn- but it was not the first Ben. This one was shorter and was sporting a bright pink shirt. “How are you?”

 

“Doing pretty well- see you didn’t change your style.”

 

“See you didn’t change your snark.” 

 

Andrew cupped his hands in the background and whispered. “Roasted.”

 

Ben stuck his tongue out at the three of them as he walked over to Mike, a fellow tap-dance enthusiast. 

 

“Are all the Bens here tonight, I take it?” Winn asked, looking around. 

 

“We’re missing one.” The first Ben reported. Lin started glancing at the clipboard in his hands, trying to figure out when the best time to let Winn sing was. “Ben, Andrew, why don’t the two of you start heading out and talking with the customers.”

 

“Aye aye, captain.” Andrew saluted and walked out with Ben towards the main Cafe area. Most of the singers would wander around in between performances to greet new people and joke around. The owner of the Cafe had placed little markers on each table that could be flipped to change the meaning- blue meant the customers were open to chatting, yellow meant the customer's preferred to be left alone, and green meant the customers really didn’t care either way. The markers could be switched at any time by the people seated at the table, and singers would visit the blue and green tables. 

 

Winn watched Andrew and Ben walk off for a second before turning back to Lin. “Alright, what spots are open?”

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

Kara smiled as she walked up to the meeting point, Mon-El and Alex in tow. Maggie and James were meant to meet the three of them there, coming directly from work. Kara saw Maggie and James standing just outside, talking and looking over as soon as she spotted her.

 

“Hey guys!” She smiled, hopping out. “Glad everyone could make it! Well, almost everyone.” The group had decided to go out to eat before game night this time, and James had suggested a little hole-in-the-wall place he had seen while taking photos. He claimed he had never actually been in, but had heard about the concept of the place and had been wanting to try it out. 

 

Kara looked up at the sign of the Cafe- the Chanteur Caché Cafe, to be precise. She couldn’t wait to see what it was like. 

 

“Shall we head in?” Maggie said, offering her bent arm out to Alex. The Superfriends walked into the Cafe, confused about the sudden curtains that greeted them, making the room smaller than anticipated.

 

“Hello! I’m Grant and I will be your host. How many people will there be tonight?.” 

 

“Five.” James said, looking over at Kara.

 

“Gotcha- if you’re wondering about the room, we have a performer on stage right now, so we keep the entry point closed off as to not bother others too much. As it were, if you could sit over there and go ahead and look at the menu while you wait. Are you familiar with how the Chanteur Caché Cafe operates?”

 

Alex blinked. “With the performances?”

 

“Yes ma’am.”

 

“We know a little bit.” James said. “I heard you have a wide variety of singers every night. How does that work?”

 

Grant smiled as he showed them the small seating area to their left and handed out menus. “The musicians, cooks, waiters, and hosts are all apart of the staff, among other small jobs. They work in the classic shift style and are paid on an hourly basis. The singers, however, are a different breed. Most of them find this place on their own and are offered to go through a quick test to see just how well they can sing. If they succeed, they are given a small pass. They also compile a short list of songs that they can sing while they are working, which are printed out and put on an interchangeable menu. The singers have no real timetables, but rather stop by whenever possible and take a shift. They can take as many as the want, and when they arrive their song list is put on the menu.” Grant pointed out the section for a second before moving on. “Customers can then vote for a song from the list, and the top songs are the ones the singer performs. Customers can pay a small fee if they want to hear a song not on the list, though it is requested that the song is asked far in advance. The cost of that is at the bottom of the song menu.”

 

Grant smiled again before pointing out a slip of paper in their menus. “If you want to learn more, you can read about it here. I’ll let you start discussing food, though I believe Andrew is almost done singing, and after that is a quick break where I can seat you. Thank you for waiting!”

 

Kara blinked before picking up the paper about the Cafe. “That’s really cool, actually.” 

 

“Yea, I bet it’s a nice spot to just come and watch free singers- and I bet the performers like it, too. They get paid, right?” James said, scanning the slip about the Cafe. “Oh, they do- that’s a nice gig.”

 

“I wonder how good the singers actually are, though.” Mon-El whispered, wary of Grant nearby. “I mean, they have to go through a test, but still.”

 

“The break is now, so if the five of you would like to move over to one of the tables inside, you can follow me.” Grant said, over the applause in the background. 

 

The group stood up, still holding their menus as they followed the server into the main area. Everyone looked around appreciatively at the decor- brick walls, worn couches at the edges and soft seats at tables. Grant guided them to one of the tables in the back, apologizing about their seating. “Sorry we’re so far from the stage, but if you want to move after someone leaves we I can get you closer seats. I promise you’ll be able to hear the singers from here, however.”

 

“Thank you,” Maggie said. “This is perfectly fine.” She glanced over at Alex, who was staring at the small marker at the edge of the table.

 

“Oh those are for the breaks.” Grant explained, pointing out the markers. “The singers often wander around talking, but no one wants to intrude a conversation they aren’t wanted in. Blue means open to talk, yellow means you’re not, and green means you really don’t care either way.”

 

“Got it.” Mon-El said, nodding. He looked around the table real quick before switching to blue. “It’s not like we have to talk to them the whole time, only in between breaks.”

 

Grant nodded and pulled out his pad and pen. “Now if you wanted to get started on drinks, I can bring you your orders.”

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

Kara was dying of laughter by the time the last singer had left the table. They had gotten their drinks and ordered, and were having a wild time chatting with the various performers. Every single one of them was incredibly nice and open, and one in a bright pink shirt had even started tap-dancing for them. The staff had joked that almost everyone working at the Cafe was queer, as it was a very theatrical group, so even Maggie and Alex were having fun, not worried about whether or not they were going to be judged. 

 

As the lights dimmed, however, she was most excited to hear the different performers. They had managed to get one of the girls who visited their table to sing a riff, and were surprised at how good she had been. Chances were good that they were in for a real treat when the music started playing. 

 

And boy she had been right. All of the seats were set up to give a perfect view of the stage, and Kara watched as singer after singer had poured their heart out on stage, or messed around, or did a little of both. The music style was massive, from songs directly from musicals to pop songs and even a rap, at one of the audience member’s request.

 

Their food had been brought in between singers, and it was extremely good, as well. As soon as she took one bite, she and the entire crew had to come back to the place. And bring Winn this time, as well. 

 

Kara did miss Winn, and could feel the fifth wheel vibes coming off from James in waves, having been in that position herself often enough. She knew Winn and James would often mess around when the entire crew was together, making jokes and overall not fifth wheeling. Winn wasn’t here tonight, sadly, and James had to suffer, as it seemed. 

 

But even he was having a great time.

 

They were all laughing when the last singer’s name was announced for that round of music. As if her thoughts of him had brought him around, the next singer had the exact same name as Winn. It wasn’t a common name, either, and now the Superfriends were imaging what Winn would have been like if he had gone up stage. Frightened, probably, but they all agreed that none of them would be willing to get up on that stage and sing even karaoke. 

The Superfriends had been told that the singer named Winn was one of their best, and hadn’t been around recently for some reason. But none of them could focus much, all so busy giggling at the idea. They didn’t even notice the person walking onto the stage, and the cheers that resounded from him being there. 

 

Because, of course, that was actually their Winn, but neither party knew the other was there. A raucous crowd in the back was common, especially in between singers. And that raucous crowd in the back had yet to turn around, thinking of Winn- or any of the Superfriends, for that matter- trying to sing the songs that had just been announced. As soon as they calmed down from doing impressions of each other, they focused back on their food and the stage, as the man standing there faced away from the crowd. 

 

The song the man was singing was called ‘It’s All Coming Back to Me Now’, and it would be the only song he sang that round. It was common for one round of singers to end with a performer singing one song, and leading the next round after the break, in order to keep customers listening. No one at the table had heard of the song.

 

The crowd starting giggling as the music picked up, the singer on the stage wiggling around to encourage the customers. Kara and Alex looked at each other, however. The person on stage seemed… familiar?

 

It wasn’t until the man turned around and slowly grabbed the microphone that the two knew why. The whole group seemed to gasp and looked at each other as the singer made puppy dog eyes to get more laughs out of the audience. 

 

Because it wasn’t just any singer on the stage. It was Winn. Their Winn.

 

The entire group just gaped at each other while the crowd giggled at Winn’s expression. It couldn’t be. But how?

 

“Winn… Winn can sing?” James whispered.

 

“Unless he’s faking it or something, he’s right there on the stage.” Mon-El pointed out. Alex leaned over as to not attract attention and pointed out- “the server talked about the fact that everyone has to go through auditions, so I’m pretty sure he’s not faking it.”

 

They turned back as Winn started to breath in on stage, but stopped when he just breathed out, getting the customers giggling once again at the ‘false start’. 

 

“He actually looks… comfortable up there?” James said.

 

Kara could tell Winn was purposely getting the audience to laugh, and was surprised herself at his confidence. Not only that, but Winn was wearing a button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and watch on one arm. Winn often wore button ups, but usually went with either a tie or a cardigan with it. Here, he looked relaxed and completely in charge of the crowd before him, playing around just for them. 

 

“Do you think he got a doppelganger or something?” Mon-El asked.

 

“Really? Winn’s doppelganger just happen to have the same name?” Maggie pointed out.

 

“And I’m pretty sure Winn was wearing that button up today. Wasn’t he?” James said, and Kara absent-mindedly nodding, to focused on watching Winn, who had so clearly not seen them yet.

 

Once again, Winn pretended to start singing, bringing a hush over the group before a loud exhale as the audience started laughing once again. Before anyone in the group could comment on Winn’s silliness, he started singing for real this time.

 

_ There we nights when the wind was so cold, _

_ That my body froze in bed if I just listened to it. _

_ Right outside my window. _

 

Their table became dead silent the moment Winn opened his mouth. Everyone was so shocked that only Maggie could get out a soft “damn” before Winn picked up once more. 

 

_ There were days when the sun was so cruel, _

_ That all the tears turned to dust  _

_ And I just knew my eyes were drying up forever. _

 

“Oh my god.” Kara whispered, watching Winn sing. “He’s so good!”

 

_ I finished crying in the instant that you left, _

_ And I can’t remember where or when or how,  _

_ And I banished every memory you and I had ever made! _

 

All the group could do for a second was send wide eyes at each other as Winn paused once more. 

 

“Who knew the IT guy had it in him?” Maggie whispered. 

 

“We had singers but… not like this!” Mon-El said, glancing at Kara before looking back at Winn.

 

_ But when you touch me like this, _

_ And you hold me like that, _

_ I just have to admit that it’s all coming back to me. _

_ When I touch you like this, _

_ And I hold you like that, _

_ It’s so hard to believe but it’s all coming back to me. _

_ It’s all coming back, coming back to me now. _

 

The group watched as a grin grew on Winn’s face while he sung. It was so overpowering, and every part of his face seemed to smile.

 

_ There were moments of gold and there were flashes of light. _

_ There were things I’d never do again _

_ But then they’d always seem right. _

_ There were nights of endless pleasure, _

_ It was more than any laws allow _

 

Kara glanced at Mon-El and spotted Maggie smiling at Alex.

 

_ Baby, baby, _

_ If I kiss you like this, And if you whisper like that,  _

_ It was lost long ago but it’s all coming back to me. _

_ If you want me like this, _

_ And if you need me like that, _

_ It was dead long ago but it’s all coming back to me _

_ It’s so hard to resist and it’s all coming back to me, _

_ I can barely recall, _

_ But it’s all coming back to me now. _

_ But it’s all coming back! _

 

Kara gasped as Winn poured his heart and soul into this one note, and the audience cheered him on. She grabbed Mon-El’s arm and looked at him for a second before glancing at the group.

 

“And we thought he was good when he first started singing.” It was one of the few times in her life Alex had been well and truly shocked, and Kara was in too much shock herself to take a picture. “He’s phenomenal, what’s he doing in a small little Cafe?”

 

“Are we sure that’s Winn?” Mon-El asked.

 

“I’m pretty sure.” James whispered, pointing out Winn still on stage swinging his head in time to the music, the crowd giggling. Kara herself started to smile, once again surprised about how comfortable he was on stage.

 

_ There were those empty threats and hollow lies, _

_ And whenever you tried to hurt me, _

_ I just hurt you even worse and so much deeper.  _

 

Kara looked up at Mon-El and gave a soft smile, still holding on to his arm.

 

_ There were hours that just went on for days, _

_ When alone at last we’d count up all the chances  _

_ That were lost to us forever. _

 

As the music picked up again, Kara started to move Mon-El’s arm in time with the music. Maggie glanced over at the two of them and started following Kara’s lead, getting both Mon-El and Alex to start grinning. Even Winn started to dance on stage, swinging his arms open and singing his heart out, though he had yet to spot the crew.

 

_ But you were history with the slamming of the door, _

_ And I made myself so strong again somehow, _

_ And I never wasted any of my time on you again! _

 

Kara shook her head as the customers cheered, before Winn threw up a finger, getting the crowd to start giggling. “Three minutes left,” Winn said, causing the audience to start laughing again, the Superfriends grinning.

 

_ But if I touch you like this, _

_ And if you kiss me like that, _

_ It was lost long ago but it’s all coming back to me. _

_ If you touch me like this, _

_ And I kiss you like that, _

_ It was gone with the wind, _

_ But it’s all coming back to me, _

 

Kara started swaying in time with the music, still holding Mon-El’s arm and forcing him to dance with him. Their entire group started grinning at around the same time Winn started to smile.

 

_ It’s all coming back, _

_ All coming back to me now, _

 

And in that moment, Winn made direct eye contact with Kara, his face falling and quickly looking away as he realized his coworkers were there, watching him. 

 

_ There were moments of gold, _

_ And there were flashes of light. _

_ There were things we’d never do again, _

_ But then they’d always seemed right.  _

 

Kara smiled encouragingly when he looked back at their table. Everyone seated there was grinning, impressed with his voice, enjoying the moment, and happy that he had finally spotted them. Winn made a weird expression at them as he sang, Kara giggling even harder and Winn seeming to feel much more comfortable again. 

 

_ There were nights of endless pleasure, _

_ It was more than all your laws allow! _

_ Baby, baby, baby,  _ go!

 

Winn closed his eyes as he sang harder than he had yet to sing, focusing solely on the music and gathering an even larger applause from the crowd.

 

_ Baby, baby, _

_ If you touch me like this, _

_ And when you hold me like that, _

_ It was gone with the wind but it’s all coming back to me. _

_ If I see you like this, _

_ And if you see me like that, _

_ Then we see what we want to see all coming back to me, _

_ The flesh and the fantasies all coming back to me, _

_ I can barely recall but it’s all coming back to me now! _

 

Kara cheered as Winn sung the note holding it out for an impressively long amount before ending in vibrato. Kara heard the rest of the table catch on, cheering and clapping along with the customers as Winn seemed to drink in the moment and then take a breather.

 

The music slowed down, and the group of five watched Winn dramatically turn to the backup singer behind him, pretending to serenade her. 

 

_ If you forgive me all this, _

_ If I forgive you all that, _

_ We forgive and forget and it's all coming back to me. _

 

Kara giggled with the audience at the singer’s reaction, before Winn turned back to the second singer, continuing his false serenading. 

 

_ When you see me like this,  _

_ And when I see you like that, _

 

The male backup singer tried to dramatically turn away himself before Winn eventually just grabbed his jaw, forcing him to look at Winn while both kept a straight face.

 

_ We see just what we want to see all coming back to me. _

 

Winn practically tossed the man’ head away, turning around and once again reaching for yet another backup singer.

 

_ The flesh and the fantasies all coming back to me,  _

_ I can barely recall but it's all coming back to me now. _

 

Winn faced the audience, wiggling his finger as the background performers sang, causing the crowd to giggle.

 

_ And when you kiss me like this. _

 

Kara shook her head as Winn messed about on stage, gesturing for a non-existent person to kiss him on the cheek.

 

_ And when I touch you like that. _

 

Once again, everyone started giggling as Winn reached out to boop a member of the audience right in front of him on the nose before standing back up again.

 

_ And if you do it like this. _

 

The entire crowd started laughing as Winn used the microphone stand and stepped over it like a person, beautifully singing in a ridiculous voice and wearing a strange expression.

 

Hey Ben-

_ And if we… _

 

The Superfriends and customers all started dying when Winn called out one of the singers in the back, before trailing off his words and letting the music finish the sentence for him.

 

Everyone started cheering and applauding as the music slowed to a stop, Winn laughing himself and putting the microphone and the stand back in their place. 

 

“I’ll be back… after the break.” He said, imitating his best newsman anchor voice and jogging backstage once more to the crowd’s applause.

 

Kara sat grinning for a second before during back to the dinner table. “Oh my god!!!”

 

“That was one of the most impressive performances I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen some good performances.” James said, shaking his head. 

 

“That was…” “phenomenal.” Maggie and Alex said, looking at each other. 

 

“Oh my god!!!” Kara repeated again, still grinning and shaking Mon-El’s arm. “Where is he?!”

 

“Relax, he probably had some things to take care of backstage or something. “ Alex smiled at her sister. 

 

“I just- I can’t!” Kara said. “That was soooo good!”

 

Mon-El glanced over at the stage where Winn was before looking back at the group. “How have we not heard him sing until then? I wouldn’t stop singing ever if I could do that.”

 

Kara smiled at Mon-El. “Of course you wouldn’t. James, you’re awfully quiet.”

 

“I’m just… honestly really impressed. I can’t believe he can do that, let alone anyone can do that.”

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god ohmygod ohmygod-”

 

“Whoa, Winn?” Lin asked, watching his face fall as soon as he stepped off stage. He was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders as Winn looked him in the eye. “Those were my coworkers!!!”

 

“What, the staff?” Lin asked, a smirk on his face.

 

“You’re no help.” Winn said, batting him away. 

 

“Oh, come on, I bet they thought it was really cool.”

 

“Who bet what was really cool?” Ben said, walking up to the slightly panicked Winn. 

 

“My coworkers were there, Ben!” Winn turned to him. 

 

“I bet you’ll be fine, relax. They’re you’re friends, too, right?

 

“True- but that doesn’t make me less nervous, cause now I have to talk to them. If I don’t talk to them know then they’ll ask me about it at work, and while I’m fine with them knowing I just don’t want the confrontation.” Winn sighed. “Man, I’m not going to have the guts to walk up to them tonight.”

 

“You might not,” Ben smiled. “But I do- and I can drag you along with me.”

 

“Wait!” Winn said, as Ben gripped his arms and started dragging him to the eating area. “Uuuugh, why are you so cruel!”

 

“This is revenge, Winn.” Ben dragged him out and looked for his friend’s table, before heading off their direction. “Maybe you shouldn’t target me like that. Besides, like you said, we both know you won’t talk with them without a little help, and you’re going to be singing again in a little bit here, so why not?”

 

Winn watched as Kara, who apparently been looking for him, spotted him and waved him over. 

 

“Good luck!” Ben whispered, letting go of his arm and patting his shoulder before walking away.

 

Winn gave a small smile as the group turned to look at him and he started walking their direction. As he reached their table, they started giving a round of applause, causing Winn’s face to turn even brighter.

 

“Aw, shucks, thanks guys.”

 

“That was… amazing!!! Oh my god, since when could you sing like that? You were just like- and it sounded so cool- and I just-”

 

“Thanks, Kara.”

 

“That was over the roof.” James said, shaking his head.

 

“Are we sure you weren’t just lip syncing? I can’t believe you can do something like that. Not only can you sing, but you don’t go parading around, singing all the time!” Mon-El said. “Come on, sit down.”

 

Kara scooted over to sit by them as Maggie whistled. “Wow.” She said. “Not only were you impressive, but you managed to look like a complete idiot while being impressive.”

 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.’

 

“How long have you been singing?” Alex asked. “And where did you find this place?”

 

“And how come you haven’t told us, we would have come to every single one of your performances!” Kara pitched in.

 

“About twelve years, I found it while wandering around, and that’s precisely the reason why.” Winn responded, rubbing the back of his neck. 

 

“Why wouldn’t you want us to show up every time you sang?” Kara asked.

 

“I would imagine it would be like if someone followed me every time I went to take photos- right?” James asked, glancing over at Winn. 

 

“Exactly. Some nights this place just lets me… express myself through singing without worry of judgement? The people here have watched me perform since I first came here, they’ve seen me mess up already and understand if I’m just having one of those nights where I don’t want to talk.” Winn looked up at their expressions and quickly fixed his sentence. “It’s not like I don’t trust you all or anything, it’s just…”

 

“He’s afraid of confrontation.” Idina said, casually passing by their table and heading to talk to a group five seats over.

 

Winn sighed and hung his head. “Yea, pretty much.”

 

“Well, now confrontation is over. And I won’t go to every single one of your performances- though I will have to bring J’onn by sometime. And my mom.”

 

Winn groaned, but smiled. 

 

Mon-El shook his hands and looked to Winn. “Now, remind me again- how did you get so good?”


End file.
